Should Athletes Be Considered Role Models
By Antonio Dean

Should athletes be role models? That is the question that is being asked here. The answer can go both ways. There are some people that view them as role models and some that do not. I personally think that it’s the parent or guardian place to be role models for today’s children. Kids this day in age have so much access to so many different things such as the internet and there is hardly anything that you can’t find on television now. There isn’t anything wrong with kids admiring athletes and wanting to be like them. But how often does that child actually see that athlete or famous person that they are admiring, it is very rare. There are a lot of times where those athletes or professionals did not have role models themselves and that is why you see them become famous they do not know how to handle them fame and glory that comes with it. As parents we should do things that help our children grow as a person and be responsible. To take a quote from Charles Barkley, he said (and this is not a direct quote) I am not a role model. I am not paid to be a role model. Parents should be role models. Just because I can dunk a basketball does not mean I should raise your kid.

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Rather they like it or not athletes are role models especially if they have children of their own. You have athletes that are using performance enhancing drugs or illegal drugs, and how do they explain that to their children when they are caught or found out. It seems now that most athletes appear more on police reports than you seeing highlights of them on Sportscenter. We as parents we are not perfect, we make mistakes and we are able to sit down with our children and atone for our mistakes and teach them right from wrong.

But not to make it seem as if all athletes are bad people, there are some that take the way they grew up and use it as a positive to impact the lives of other people. Most athletes give back to the communities or neighborhoods they grew up in. And most of them live pretty good lives on and off the field. It all comes to being responsible for you actions, becoming a professional athlete is really big and I think some don’t’ realize the changes that comes along with that. The things that you did before you became famous would have to stop especially if they were questionable to begin with and even some of the people that you associated yourself may have to change. As parents we mostly do all of these things especially when it comes to our children. We are the ones who will tell our children right from wrong. We are the ones who are going to encourage them to do better and strive for the best. There is nothing wrong with trying to perform like a certain athlete or using their work ethic to become better, but once with don’t see them on TV or in stadiums or arenas, we do not know what goes on with them outside of the spotlight. It is a personal opinion to most you either agree or disagree. Another example I have is the Michael Phelps situation. The guy won I think at least 8 gold medals in the Olympics, but gets photographed smoking a bong at a college party. This caused him to lose some endorsement deals and the chance to possibly compete in the 2012 Olympics. He is a guy at the age of 23 on top of the world and makes a stupid mistake like that. We are all human and we make mistakes, but some things like that can be avoided just by using your mind and think about what you are doing and the consequences.

I’m sure there were a lot of young swimmers who looked up to him and now are wondering what to do. The bad thing about a lot of situations like this is that the media sometimes portray the athlete as untouchable, and that’s the one thing that I think sometimes influence our children. It’s the hey if they can do it, why can’t I. And that is not how it should be. The main point I want to make is that parents should assure that their children know that unfortunately these people will make mistakes. So look up to them more for their abilities than their character. There are tons of amazing athletes out there whether they are male or female who do great things in sports. And as I mentioned before there are some who have a very positive impact on youth, but I think that a lot of them don’t realize how much of a public figure they become once they become famous. It seems as if they think they are untouchable and can do whatever they want because of their status, and that is a very bad example to set for our children. Sometime it really makes me believe the saying that money is the root of all evil, because people who have it, not speaking for all of them think they can do whatever they want. And that why as parents we have to separate the reality from the fantasy for our children, not to discourage them from anything they want to do or accomplish. As role models parents should be able to tell of mistakes they made and how they learned from them or even things that their parents instilled in them while they were growing up. Our children should not grow up thinking if I made the police line up or made it to ESPN for something I did wrong that they have accomplished something. Sometimes I think people fail to realize that athletes are human beings, they do things just like us such as go to parties and social events and a lot of time they use poor judgment just like the average person would, but they are held to such high standards that it has a trickle down effect on they lives. A person such as me could go out here and commit adultery or go out and have a few drinks and get pulled over for a DUI but you would never hear about it. If you want an athlete to be a role model it should be for the things that he or she does off the playing field not on it. For example former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo gives back time and money to his native country of Congo. Another person would be Lance Armstrong for battling and over coming cancer and come back to compete in the Tour De France. Another person I would add would be Brett Favre, how many 40 year old men could come out of retirement and play football at a high level like he did this past season. I would love to be in that kind of shape once I turn 40. But those are some of the people you can look at as role models. In some cases athletes think they are bigger than the sport that they play, I am a big Dallas Cowboy fan ever since I was a kid and I remember Michael Irvin for all the things he done on the field he couldn’t stay out of trouble off it. There was this one instance where he got into some trouble and he told the officer don’t you know who I am, which the officer didn’t care because he was still arrested.
Michael Vick is another example; the guy was making millions of dollars at one time and had all kinds of endorsements. He lost just about everything by funding a dog fighting ring. Something he enjoyed doing when he was younger. But as I said earlier you make mistakes and you learn from them. And he did, he now goes around to different schools and places and talk to children about his mistakes and how to go about not making the same mistakes that he did.
Another example I could use would be OJ Simpson. He had it all a good football career, a decent broadcasting and acting career. But yet he does something stupid as killing his ex-wife and a friend of hers. The evidence was there but I guess because of his celebrity status he basically walked away scot free. And I really think because of that when an athlete gets into trouble now. The Law Enforcement and the media try to make an example out of them for whatever they done whether it was big or small. You know as parents we are in the spotlight also especially if we have children and that why doing the rights things and teaching our kids the right things is so important. So in a lot of ways my two examples are the same, but also different in some aspects.
But I do agree with Charles Barkley athletes should not be role models parents should. So to all parents take time with you kids and be an important part of their lives. http://aqsaint.com/2009/02/11/should-athletes-be-viewed-as-role-models

Sources For Essay

City-Data.com http://www.city-data.com/forum/sports/738186-should-parents-role-models-athletes.html#ixzz0gCGHSlUw 08/18/2009
Aqsaint.com
http://aqsaint.com/2009/02/11/should-athletes-be-viewed-as-role-models 02/11/2009